Where do you stand on mash?

[ClausIsTrulyReal]

I think it's rather pleasant to have for to sop up gravy, but I know that some MNers think it's a giant faux pas.

Hmm?

We once had Yorkshire puds with the turkey because the dc wanted 'em.

To the side of it - really hard to pick out of the sole treads and makes a bloody awful mess on the carpet

Mind you, I'd rather people had mash than use Aunt Bessie's roasties. Lazy feckers.

We dont have mash with a roast or Christmas dinner, out of habit/tradition, really. Sounds good though. Mash and gravy, yum.

I love mash with my christmas dinner. From when my old boyfriend's mum used to make it. She is Irish so I guess I presumed it was an Irish tradition, especially as she used to then make colcannon with the leftovers for boxing day breakfast, but don't think it is?

DH on the other hand thinks it unnecessary and a waste of precious cooking time. And as he is the cook, we don't have it.

bunny just saw your post, maybe it is an Irish tradition then?

At least it's not oven chips!

Of course mash belongs.

My dad's idea of Christmas dinner is turkey on the bottom and mash, roasties, parsnip, cabbage, broccoli, peas, carrots, green beans, stuffing, pigs in blankets and yorkshire pudding, all piled up into a great heap on the plate. Its an achievement to find the bottom before you're too full.

I'm having lunch at theirs this year. I shall be a stone heavier by the end of the day.

I adore mash! I do mash and roasties on Xmas day.

No mash! Just roasties.

We do sometimes have yorkshires though, because we all love them and think they go well with any roast.

We always had mash and roast potatoes with any kind of roast meal. That was in Suffolk. They just go together imo. How can you compare mash to oven chips and mash isn't tasteless unless you don't season it enough. I love mash We would never have had only roasties because 'think of all that fat', my DM fails to see that purely enjoying food on occasion is not going to kill you on the spot Come to think of it DM's roasties are little more than boiled potatoes shoved in the oven briefly. I'm always confused when MIL serves boiled tats with her cremated, solid, inedible dripping in fat offerings.
I'm cooking our I'm 37 FFS first ever Christmas this year, we will be having mash made with a potato ricer and roasties, some all crispy and roughed up on the outside and lovely and some how DP likes them, shiny and odd.

Definitely no mash. It a roast dinner therefore roast potatoes go with it.

Have been to dinner at people's house where mash is included with roaties (and sometimes a third, potato based item) and its just wrong. IME they are also the type of people who present you with a plate piled high with everything and gravy so thick you can cut it with a knife slopped all over.

That said, my own DM's way of making roasties is rather odd too. She uses no fat 'because it is terribly bad for you, you know' so they are basically jacket potatoes with no skin

Not at Xmas but sometimes with Sunday dinner, especially a chicken one.

I often stand on mash in the dining room after dgs has visited but for Christmas dinner we mash potato and swede a combination known as Scottish Crooglie and have roast potatoes as well.

Ooh yes, potato and swede - "Stunch" where I come from - plenty of black pepper and butter - yum!

Greylady - do you find it a pain to get out of the sole treads too?

I love mash but never with Christmas dinner or in addition to roast potatoes.

Isn't that just more work?

Mash is a necessary evil if you are feeding a very large number of people and can't do enough roast spuds without an oven extension.

Yorkshire puddings are essential with all roast meat, I was born in Yorkshire and the DDs love them.

School used to manage the baked potatoes without skin effect. Trouble was they weren't even fully baked.

Sort of par boiled spuds in rubber coats, very nasty

Mash isn't more work if you buy it pre-prepared

Mash at Christmas is made of swede and carrot with butter and black pepper.

At a push duchess potatoes, but they are such a massive faff I'd be loath to do them.

Yes happy it is such a trial to me, I spend hours raking it out of my wellies if I have been in the garden!

I saw toad in the hole mentioned. How easy is that, I might attempt for Christmas Eve.

Toad in the whole dead simple. Just some batter, stick some sausages in and bake. Thinking about it, nicer than pigs in blankets.

I went oop north last week to visit an aunt and uncle. They made me a roast before leaving on Sunday. On my plate was.... approximately half a chicken, 2 sausages wrapped in bacon, Yorkshire puddings, sprouts, roast spuds, MASH(?WTF?), carrots, peas, broccoli and cauliflower. I have never seen so much food on one plate, even at Christmas. And the gravy. Oh the (bisto granules) gravy.
Mash was most unwelcome. As was the horrible gravy that can't really be called gravy!
I had no idea other people had gravy with their regular sunday dinners too - what a revelation!